BLOOMINGTON, Minn. –Â The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) launched its league-wide Athlete of the Week program ahead of the 1999-2000 academic year. In the two decades since, the conference has recognized hundreds of student-athletes for exceptional performances in competition. In the absence of competitive athletics this fall, the MIAC will take time each week to revisit some memorable performances from the last 20 years of the Athlete of the Week program.
Today’s Athlete of the Week Rewind revisits some outstanding achievements for the dates of November 24-30 over the last 20 years.
MIAC Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week
Kevin Grow (November 27, 2017)
Carleton College
Sr. | Forward
Circle Pines, Minn. | Centennial
Kevin Grow had a historic weekend in leading the Knights to victories over Colorado College and Wisconsin-Platteville. The senior forward was named MVP of the Rocky Mountain Thanksgiving Classic after posting a double-double in each win. He opened the season with a 17-point, 17-rebound performance against Colorado College and followed it up with a 19-and-12 effort against Platteville, surpassing the 1,000-career points plateau and grabbing his 750th career rebound in the process.
MIAC Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week
Mikayla Miller (November 28, 2016)
Gustavus Adolphus College
Jr. | Guard
Goodhue, Minn.
Mikayla Miller averaged 30.0 points per game last week after putting up a career-high 34 points in a 67-47 win against UW-La Crosse and a 26-point performance in the Gusties’ 83-71 win against Buena Vista. Miller missed only one of her 20 free throw attempts (.950) and was a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe against Buena Vista. She also averaged 3.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds in those two games and shot 51.4 percent from the floor.
MIAC Men’s Hockey Athlete of the Week
Rick Talbot (November 26, 2001)
Saint John’s University
Sr. | Forward
Anoka, Minn.
Rick Talbot had five goals and one assist in two non-conference wins in Elmira, N.Y. In a 5-2 win over Williams on Nov. 24, Talbot scored two goals, including the game-winner at the 10:00 mark of the third period. In an 8-7 overtime win over Elmira on Nov. 25, Talbot recorded three goals and one assist, including the game-winner at the 2:44 mark of overtime.
MIAC Women’s Hockey Athlete of the Week
Annie Annunziato (November 24, 2003)
Augsburg College
Sr. | Forward
Commack, N.Y.
Annie Annunziato dominated the action in Augsburg’s two-game sweep of Hamline, winning 12-1 on Thursday and 5-0 on Friday. In the 12-1 win, Annunziato set single-game school records with five goals and eight total points. In Friday’s win, Annunziato had two goals, giving her a 10-point weekend with seven goals and three assists.
MIAC Men’s Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week
Peter Mullee (November 24, 2008)
University of St. Thomas
Jr.
Madison, Wis. | Memorial
Peter Mullee won three events at the Macalester Invitational last Saturday. He winning time of 50.89 in the 100 backstroke broke the meet, pool, and school records. The time would also have qualified Mullee fifth at last year’s NCAA Championship meet. He also won the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:01.08 and anchored the winning 400 freestyle relay which also broke the meet record (3:20.42).
MIAC Women’s Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week
Jennifer Strom (November 25, 2014)
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Rochester, Minn. | Century
Jennifer Strom won three individual events and added another first-place relay finish while breaking two pool records in the process at the Grace Goblirsch Memorial Invitational last weekend. Strom’s winning time of 2:24.83 in the 200-yard breaststroke broke the Vic Gustafson Pool record of 2:25.12 and Strom also helped the Gusties’ 200-yard medley relay team swim to victory with a pool-record time of 1:48.53. Strom won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:07.32 and the 500-yard freestyle in 5:19.45 as well, helping Gustavus amass 1,694 points to finish first by more than 700 points.
